Q. My wife and I have been helping our adopted daughter financially for some time. She’s 25, has been married for three years, and we don’t see this cycle stopping anytime soon. The worst part is, they will often throw in that our grandchild will go without something unless we help. We’re certain this isn’t teaching them to stand on their own feet, but we don’t know what else to do.

“Ms. Christy, you just don’t get it. You don’t understand.” My client, a feisty, brave and loveable 19-year-old female was telling me about a difficult situation that she had been involved with at work. And this was her response to me. The sad part about it is that I thought I was really listening! Her words were sobering and so I paused for reflection.

Maybe you can relate to Craig from the UK. He wrote in a blog, “I bought a book called 52 Steps To Defeating Procrastination. I’ve still never read it - it was over 10 years ago, and I’m not even sure where it is now.”

Communities of Transformation is an organization lead by Laurel and Fred Blackwell and dedicated to guiding families toward self-sufficiency while focusing on reconciliation, restoration and healing. Communities of Transformation is a collaborative initiative of the United Methodist Church. Other denominations and agencies are welcome to partner with C.O.T. to work with the poor.

When a wildfire sweeps across the scrub oak, sandy land of north Florida, south Alabama, and south Georgia many small animals find a place to hide, thanks to a creature called the gopher tortoise. This tortoise, about fifteen inches long and weighing eight to fifteen pounds, loves to dig in the sand. His front feet are like shovels. His back feet are strong and sturdy. Consequently, he can create large burrows. One in north Florida left a burrow that was 26 feet deep and 65 feet long. But that project was huge.

RRJ: You mentioned that you were raised in a Christian home. How instrumental do you think that foundation was in who you are today?

Ron: Being raised in a Christian home was critical to everything I believe today. It was the foundation for my life and lifestyle. I’m by no means perfect! I make mistakes like anyone else. I sin. I’m human. However, when I do make those mistakes, I know God is forgiving, and I ask for his forgiveness. Then I try to change and do better. I try to please God. I try to treat others the way I want to be treated. I learned that as a child. My mother and father were excellent examples of that as they displayed love for us in the home. We were raised in the church and learned the principles of Christian living…LOVE. The Bible doesn’t specifically address every situation we will be faced with in life, but the Christian principles I was taught still help me with those decisions.

Christians have an interesting relationship with culture. Culture is a word we love to use, but one we rarely pause to define. We speak of culture’s dangerous encroachment on the church, of our need to avoid it, engage it, or redeem it. But what is this culture thing anyway? It happens to be the subject of an excellent new book by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. A Practical Guide to Culture is meant to help those who are helping the next generation navigate today’s world, and it does its job well.

Alice Cooper was recently reflecting on the life of his late friend Glen Campbell. Yes, that Alice Cooper, the shock rocker known for dark theatrical rock shows, was a friend with that Glen Campbell, the smooth singing star of radio and television.